Maximum Ride: Fame, Fortune, and Feathers!
by Kalynnn
Summary: My spin on what happens after the third book. MAJOR SPOILERS if you haven't read book 3. Max and the flock are ready for whatever comes their way. Atleast, they hope so. Faxness. Read & Review, PLEASE! CHAPTER FIVE IS FINALLY UP! Discontinuing this fic.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note:  
This is my first attempt at a Maximum Ride fanfic. I'm absolutely in love with the flock, so I thought I'd put my own spin on what happens AFTER the third book. **That means, MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS for those of you that haven't read #3.** Go buy it. Read it. THEN read this fic.  
For those of you that HAVE read #3, ENJOY, and review please! I'm trying to decide wether or not to continute it (so the title can make sense, hehe), so if you like it, REVIEW!  
Thanks so much for reading.  
__Oh, and the disclaimer, of course. I DO NOT own Maximum Ride, nor the characters. Sadly. I just love them._

**Maximum Ride: Fame, Fortune, and...Feathers?!  
By HurricaneWriter**

The flock and I were finally back together. Tempting as it was to stay in Arizona with my – get this – MOM (it just feels so darn weird to say), and my long lost half-sister Ella, I knew it wasn't truly where I belonged. I'm Maximum Ride. Built to save the world, and all that, right?…Oh, yeah, I've already taken care of that. Well, who's to say it won't need saving again? The way things are looking now, we can pretty much say it _will_ need saving again. But I wasn't going to worry about that yet. I had bigger things to ponder. Like, why Fang was staring at me right now, for example.

I looked up at him from my lofty branch of the giant fir tree we were resting in, and balanced my elbows on my knees. I squinted to see him as my eyes adjusted in the dark. We were somewhere around the Texas border, still trying to decide where to go.

"I would tell you to 'take a picture, it lasts longer', but that's getting sort of cliché, don't you think?" I asked him.

He shook his head briefly, like he was trying to re-focus. "What?"

"Never mind," I said, pulling my hair, which was clean for the first time in forever, out of my face. I really needed a haircut.

The younger kids, Iggy, and Total were all asleep in some of the lower branches. Well, when I say lower, I mean lower than Fang and me. There weren't any "low" branches on these trees. We were finally not running from anything, or so we thought. I'd forgotten how it felt just to hang out in a tree for the fun of it. Wait, had I _ever_ hung out in a tree for the fun of it?

I swallowed, wondering how long it was going to take Fang to start talking. This was our first time to be truly alone since…well…since he had kissed me. Actually, to be technical, our first time alone without being completely freaking _ticked_ at each other.

"You know, I never realized how hard it is…" Fang started, swinging the leg he was dangling over his branch. "Being the leader, I mean."

Well. Interesting choice of conversation. What was he doing, admitting weakness? That was so not a Fang move. "Not as easy as I make it look, is it?" I quipped, a faint smile appearing on my face.

"I didn't say you made it look easy," he teased, giving me one of his "close-to-a-smile-as-I'm-gonna-get" looks. "But, really. It's a lot of pressure. It's like, you have so much depending on you. Everything riding on your shoulders. It was really different for me."

"Tell me something I don't know," I winced, glancing down at the rest of my sleeping flock below me. Total was snoring on Iggy's stomach, and Nudge and Angel were both leaning against the tree trunk close together. The Gasman was a couple branches over from the girls, hugging another limb. I watched the steady rise and fall of their chests for another moment. I was so thankful we were here. Together.

Fang and I sank into companionable silence, and I closed my eyes. I considered everything I'd been through in the last couple of days. Dr. Martinez, the one person who I would have picked out of the billions to be my mom, WAS my mom. Since when do I get what I want? I chuckled a little. That was sort of funny.

Jeb was my father. That was a new development. Just like I'd wished for before he turned into my worst nightmare. I remembered the way we fought together at the Itex headquarters in Germany. I remembered the sorrowful expression that sent daggers through my heart when he realized his son had just "expired", and my throat tightened. I remembered the moment when I had found out that he was my Voice. Did I still love Jeb, after everything he had put me through? I shook my head, and then rubbed my temples. Slow down, Max. Get a grip.

My brain was on hyper-drive for a while, recalling everything. Then, for once, the knot in my throat loosened. I felt like I could relax. I took a deep breath in, and seriously considered doing an up-and-away. I needed to fly; I would never be able to fall asleep. It was Fang's watch. (What do we need a lookout for anyway? We're free! I guess old habits die hard.) I looked up at Fang again, and realized he was typing on his laptop. I stood, got my footing on one of the other branches, and then pulled myself up beside him.

"Did you tell the kids we said 'thanks'?" I asked, suddenly genuinely curious about all those kids who had helped us stop Itex.

"Yep. You wouldn't believe it. There are all kids of stories they're posting, places they went…" he informed me solemnly. "I don't think we've been giving normal human kids enough credit."

"You mean, you don't think _I_ have been giving them enough credit," I corrected. "Macho Max. _You_ are the one who believed in them in the first place."

Fang bit his lip as he thumbed the trackball. "Well, when you put it that way."

I laughed, tilting the computer screen back so I could see better. I noticed he was no longer surfing the blog. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he was quick to say, leaning the screen back to his liking.

"Come on," I told him, folding my arms. "Got a cyber-girlfriend or something?"

He looked over at me, his dark eyes staring directly into my own. "Something like that."

"You've _got_ to be kidding," I said seriously, my heart skipping a beat, moving the screen back and holding it in place. "What kind of –…" I stopped short. On the screen was a word document. It seemed to be a short free-verse…poem…

_Her hair flows behind her in the wind_  
_The sun sending a dazzling array of light shining throughout.  
__I know her smile could light the darkest of places  
__I couldn't live without her at my side.  
__Her eyes are closed, as she takes in the chilly air.  
__I know beneath her beautiful exterior, she is fierce.  
__Strong and intelligent, graceful and loyal. More so than I can fathom.  
__My best friend, my one and only, the Maximum Ride._

I swallowed hard. Oh. He looked at me, the closest thing I've ever seen him to blushing. I was almost afraid to look back, but I allowed myself to lock eyes with him.

"Quite the writer, aren't you?" I whispered. Way to go, Max. Would it _kill_ me to be a little sentimental every now and then? "Our very own Shakespeare. James Patterson reborn-…"

"Max," he stopped me. He reached over and brushed my hair out of my eyes, my forehead tingling where his fingers had grazed it.

"What?" I asked stupidly, inwardly kicking myself. Why did I have to be _so_ dang stubborn? Well, what I was I supposed to say?

Fang closed the laptop and put it in his backpack, swooping down to where Iggy was sleeping, and gently woke him. "Your watch," he mumbled, handing him the backpack. "Max and I are gonna fly around a little, okay?"

Iggy nodded, sitting up and pushing Total into a more comfortable position. "Got it."

Fang came back up to the branch where I was sitting, probably looking quite shell-shocked. "Come on."

I stood, unfolding my wings carefully. Well, this was very odd for me. I was pretty much speechless. There were so many things I wanted to say, so many emotions that needed conveying, and yet nothing would come out. Fang took off first, and I followed close behind, as we gained altitude.

"Where are we going?" I managed, after a few silent minutes. I had calculated we were flying southwest.

"Just this place," he answered, not very helpfully.

"Fang," I looked over at him as we flew. He was kind of diagonal to me, below me, so our wings would have some room. "Do you know how upset I was when you left?" Interesting tactic, Max.

He nodded silently, the tips of my wings coming within a few inches of him every down stroke.

"It wasn't right. I mean, I didn't feel right with you gone. Not at all. I was pretty much torn up the whole time. I was so hurt. I couldn't believe you just left. I couldn't believe you made the kids choose." It was all I could do not to burst out in rage all over again. Self control. He better be thankful I have it.

"I know," he said. I detected a hint of bitterness in his voice. Who was he mad at?

"Do you _still_ think it was wrong of me to help Ari," I asked venomously. "Considering…the recent development?"

"I never thought it was wrong of you to help Ari," he answered quietly. Hmm. That was a new one. "Only wrong to put yourself and the kids in danger." Oh. Right.

"Sometimes that's what it takes," I told him without missing a beat, slowing down as he did. I looked down and saw the beach below us. How predictable.

"I didn't ever plan to leave you, Max. I thought maybe if I actually stood up to the decision, you would realize how dangerous it was and change your mind." He and I coasted in the air for a moment before descending toward the sandy embankment. "Not to mention I pretty much hated Ari's guts."

"Right. And of course, because I always cooperate _so_ well, it was the perfect plan," I joked, sarcasm dripping from my words.

We both hit the ground running, backpedaling in the sand to keep ourselves upright, and folding in our wings. Then Fang surprised me. He looked right at me, and let out an actual laugh. I was stunned for a moment. And as I think I've told you before, it takes _a lot_ to stun a walking genetic phenomenon.

"I'm sorry, Max," he said, after his laugh had worn off. "I'm sorry I left you."

We walked there, our sneaker-clad feet making footprints side by side in the wet sand. After walking for a few more minutes, we climbed up on a rock, and sat down. The stars were practically dancing in their reflection on the ocean. I rubbed my hands on my jeans thoughtfully, and Fang wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me toward him. I thought I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"But, more importantly than all of that, I missed you," I told him, after long moments of listening to the waves crash against the shore.

"Not half as much as I missed you," he said. By the sheer emotion in his voice, I was inclined to believe him.

I leaned my head back, resting it against his strong wiry shoulder. The only shoulder I would ever want to rest my head on. The shoulder I had known since I was tiny. He put his other arm around me and hugged me again. I could feel his heartbeat only inches above my own.

"Not only did you miss me," he began. I could sense his happiness. Our closeness. "But you also loooove me." He was referring to what I had said while on Valium in Dr. Mar- _mom's_ operating room. And I was going to kill him.

"FANG!!" I yelled, as I heard him laughing. I spun and jumped up to a standing position, nearly slipping off the rock in the process. I threw out my wings to balance myself. He joined me, and we stood there face to face. He was grinning, teeth and all, which made me want to grin too. But, not before I clocked him. "You know what?"

"You're going to kill me?" he asked. Boy, did he know me well. But, I decided I might as well prove him wrong.

"No," I loved the way he went from looking completely smug to confused in that split second. "You are absolutely right. On Valium or not."

_Then _I grinned. He looked pretty much like I HAD just clocked him. Only, in a good way? I don't know. You'd have to be there.

"Seriously?"

I looked up into his dark eyes, and brushed some hair out of his face. Then I stood on my tip-toes, thanking everything good that I had wings to keep myself steady, and kissed him. As we kissed, he pulled me closer. His lips against mine sent chills running through _every_ freaking vein in my body. Lemme tell you. After several seconds we broke apart. I was dizzy, confused, and exhausted; yet pretty much the happiest I'd been in, like, years. He put his arms around me again, and I leaned my head against his chest.

I tried to summon something very smart-aleck, but I was having trouble. "Oh, my gosh."

Yeah, Max. That works. I felt him smile, as weird as that sounds, and did the same.

"So isn't this the part where I fly off sulkily?" Fang asked, referring to our previous encounter. Since when did he beat me to the sarcastic remarks?

"I didn't mean it…I just…I wasn't sure…" I trailed, trying to justify my little episode. "I had a lot going on at the time, if you didn't pick up on that."

There we go! Finally my sarcasm kicks in.

Fang laughed slightly again, and we were silent for a few minutes. "You need to let your heart drive for once, Max."

"Wha?" He spun me around so we were both facing the ocean, and wrapped his arms around me again.

"I'm talking about the flock. Lead with your heart, not your head. We don't get many free opportunities like this. What do you _want _to do now? Where do you want to go?"

I looked back at him over my shoulder. "Well…" I began, swaying slightly back and forth. "I've always wanted to vacation in Hawaii. Maybe the Bahamas. Learn to juggle."

He sighed. "Very funny. But I'm serious. For once, you're really calling the shots. No higher power to answer to. No immediate task looming over you, like, saving the world. What do you think we should do?"

"I guess one of the first things we should do is figure out where all this blog stuff is going. You realize we've probably been on every freaking news channel in America. Not to mention all the kids starting riots in other countries."

He nodded, resting his chin on the top of my head. "Is that a bad thing?"

"I'm not sure yet," I answered him. "I guess we'll just have to find out."

_A/N: No flames if you can refrain from it. Other than that, REVIEW PLEASE. _


	2. Chapter 2: On Our Way

_Author's Note:  
Thanks for all the reviews! I can't believe I wrote two chapters in two days, but for some reason it just came easily! Hope everyone enjoys it! Once again, MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THE THIRD BOOK. Just clarifying.  
REVIEW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.  
Oh, disclaimer, I own no Maximum Ride._

**Maximum Ride: Fame, Fortune, and...Feathers?!  
Chapter Two: On Our Way  
By HurricaneWriter**

"A _baby_ carrier," Total screeched in disgust from the pouch on Fang's stomach. I guessed he had finally figured it out. "What kind of _idiot_ do you take me for?"

I was very tempted to answer him, but I decided against it. Needless to say, Fang and I were back with the flock. It was the next morning, and we were soaring across a part of sunny southern California. It was warm and bright, and I could tell everyone's spirits were lifted and finally sort of stable. Gosh, I bet those of you who aren't mutant bird-kids take this feeling for granted.

"A big one," I heard Iggy mutter to Fang, referring to Total's previous question. Or was it Gazzy? He looked mischievous. Not that it was abnormal.

"Max," said Nudge, from her position a couple feet above me. I pushed my wings down forcefully a few times so I was level with her.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"You still haven't told us where we're headed. And I mean, I'm not complaining or anything, but I'd kind of like to know."

I sucked in a breath, my eyes momentarily glinting on Fang. _I would kind of like to know myself, _I thought.

Then Fang piped up. "We're headed back to L.A."

Last night, Fang and I agreed that we needed to get this whole blog thing under control. He said we were pretty much celebrities, and we needed a face. Needed a platform, or something. He was sure we could do more good in the world, and maybe keep it out of bigger trouble. Yeah, yeah, call me a tree-hugger. We weren't quite sure how to go about all this though, and that's where our conversation had dwindled last night. This morning when I woke up, he was on the laptop again, with a look of determination in his eyes. An hour after that, we were airborne, and he hadn't told me where we were going. Until now, that is.

"Yeah," I agreed, looking at Nudge. Gotta maintain my leader position here, Fang. I sighed, and Nudge asked some more questions.

"Why L.A.? Like, are we gonna be famous? Did those kids write in to "Warner Brothers" or something?"

Fang shook his head, flying between Gazzy and Angel, who both seemed to like Nudge's idea.

"I want Vin Diesel to play me in the movie!" the Gasman cried excitedly. "Do you know how c_ool_ he is?"

"Except, for that to work, he'd need to be at least two feet shorter, and a heck of a lot less buff," Iggy joked.

The Gasman made a face. "How would you know?"

"I hear things," was Iggy's response.

Total began to act like a Hollywood agent. "Hello? _Steven Spielberg?_ You want to talk to Max? Hang on a second. She's got Tom Hanks on the other line."  
Iggy and Nudge laughed appreciatively. I laughed too, enjoying it as the sun warmed my wings. I know what you're thinking. _"Max? A MOVIE STAR? Yeah, right. That's about as likely as the Gasman suddenly developing the ability to control his bodily functions."_ Yep, that's pretty much what I was thinking, too.

We coasted along as the kids continued to rant on and on about a glamorous life in Hollywood. I stared daggers at Fang. _Look what you're doing to the poor kids,_ I thought at him. What was he doing getting their hopes up? Sure, we were kind of already in the public eye, but the _most_ we'd be getting out of it was a dinky commercial about saving the rainforest, something cheesy like that, or you know, getting captured and put in the freaking _zoo. _Whichever came first. Why did my "lay-low" mentality _never_ sink in?

I noticed Angel was acting quieter than usual. I tilted my wings downward, and went over to her in a wide arching circle. Have I mentioned I love flying? Sorry. It just never gets old.

"What's the matter sweetie?" I asked, reaching out and touching her on the shoulder.

"Max, I don't want to be put in a zoo. You don't really think that could happen, do you?"

"I won't let it," I told her reassuringly. Do you have any idea whatsoever how frustrating it is when you can't even _think_ without being overheard? I'm pretty sure you don't.

"It scares me Max. I haven't really thought about it before, but there are more people than just the ones at the School and Itex who could be bad. Who could want to do bad things to us, I mean." She was whispering.

"We can kick the rest of the scrawny creep's _butts_," I reminded her, smiling a little. I wasn't actually so sure. "Have you forgotten how strong you are? How strong we all are? You heard yourself that we were built to last."

She nodded. "I know all that, but I don't know…" she twirled one of her blond ringlets around her index finger. "Isn't it annoying how we still have to be afraid of a world that _we_ saved?"

Well. That was food for thought. I patted her arm lightly, and smiled as best as I could. "Don't worry, baby. We're gonna be fine."

After another two or so hours of flying, I could tell everyone was getting hungry. We'd been in the air for at least four hours, judging by the position of the sun. And the fact that my stomach was making more noise than a herd of Flyboys, which Iggy had mentioned at least three times. Paranoid much?

"Ready to stop for some food?" I asked, gliding up next to Fang. His angular face was set tight, but he still looked kind of happy. That was new for him.

"Yeah, I think we're coming up on San Diego soon," he informed me, looking down at the patchwork ground below us. "I've been dying to try an In-N-Out burger. Or four."

I nodded, smiling a little. "So start landing, like, in ten?"

"More like now if we don't want to actually drop into the middle of San Diego," he reasoned, smirking at me. We both folded in our wings a little, falling a few feet.

"Chow time, guys!" I called up to the rest of the flock.

"YES!" I saw Gazzy punching the air excitedly.

…..

"You are _so_ gonna be Max's problem for the rest of the trip," Fang was telling Total. We were standing on the side of the deserted highway, and Fang was having some obvious trouble getting the strap of Total's – ahem- carrier to cooperate.

"Hey, watch the legs!" Total complained, squirming.

I folded in my wings, signaling the rest of the flock to do the same in case someone were to drive past, and came over to Fang's side. "Need some help, there?"

"No," he muttered, tugging on something. "I've almost…got it…"

Iggy came up behind us and undid a snap behind Fang's back, causing Total to hit the ground. And he wasn't happy about it.

"Oh, yeah, I knew about that," Fang murmured, stuffing the carrier into his backpack.

Iggy and I laughed, and we joined the younger kids who were already about twenty feet down the road. Fang wasn't amused.

"We could hitchhike," observed Nudge, a few minutes later.

"Yeah, because the traffic is like, completely _jammed_," I said, looking over at the highway. I didn't see a sign of a car for miles in either direction.

"Why'd we have to land so early?" the Gasman asked, a few steps ahead of the rest of us. "It's like, forever from here to San Diego."

"Don't want the attention yet," Fang answered him.

I nodded, checking my back pocket for the wallet of cash that mom had insisted we take. There was also a Visa card jammed into one of the zippered parts. I was incredibly grateful.

Half an hour later we were inside the city, walking quickly down the sidewalk. Iggy and Total were effectively using their joint act of blind-kid and seeing eye dog. It paid off sometimes. If you've never seen San Diego, you don't realize how huge it actually is. I could tell the kids were wiped, and I was just ready to get some food in me. The power bars we'd had for breakfast just _didn't_ hold up, man.

"There it is," Angel said, pointing to our right. The fast food restaurant looked completely packed. Lunch hour, I assumed, as we darted inside. I'm not much for crowded places, but you know, a mutant avian-hybrid's gotta eat. I did my routine make-sure-none-of-the-people-look-like-they-want-to-rip-out-my-throat assessment. I doubted I'd ever be able to shake myself of that one.

"Burgers all around?" I asked, as the flock slid into one of the booths. I stood at the side of the table, ready to go order at the counter. I received nods with varying levels of enthusiasm.

"I want at least six!" the Gasman called after me. I shrugged off the weird looks from the family who was walking past.

I stood in the line, resisting the urge to tell the bratty five year old in front of me to cram it, and that the type of toy in his kiddie meal just _didn't_ rank very high on the employee's scale of importance. They actually looked pretty busy back there, I mused, watching a girl probably not much older than me take the orders and run frantically back and forth to the ice-cream machine.

"Hi," she said to me, as I finally stepped up to the counter. It sounded kind of forced. I was thankful at that very moment that I had never had the obligation to work in the fast food industry. "What'll you be having?"

I glanced up at the menu occasionally, rattling off about half of it. "And extra fries," I finished.

She looked kind of like she was a knight who had just been given orders to slay a giant dragon. I'm just gauging here.

"Uh-huh," she said, waiting on the two-foot long receipt to print, and handing me a plastic number. "Might be a few minutes."

I forked over a large amount of my cash, nodded and turned around, walking back over to the booth where the flock was sitting. Angel had her head on her arms, probably sleeping. Iggy and Nudge were talking quietly. Fang was on the laptop, yet again, and the Gasman was whispering something about tying Total to a taxi outside if he didn't keep his mouth shut. I smiled, sitting down next to Fang, ruffling Gazzy's hair as I went. I've gotta hand it to that kid.

Fang was blogging, and I leaned over to read it.

"Do you honestly think we've got a shot in L.A.?" I asked under my breath, when I had read halfway through it. "What do you think we're gonna _do_?"

"Be spokespeople for the planet. For the kids. For the future," he said matter-of-factly. At first I thought he was kidding. "Somebody's gotta step up."

"Saving the world once just isn't enough for you, is it?" I teased, rolling my eyes.

"Not really," he answered, glancing sideways at me. "You just can't handle not being the hero."

I opened my mouth to object, and then realized he was kidding. I sighed. "You have no idea."

About ten minutes later, when I was sure I was about to keel over from hunger, a guy arrived at our table with two trays. And another guy behind him. With two more trays.

"Sixty three?" He asked, looking down at me.

I nodded, holding up the plastic number sheepishly. "That's us."

The Gasman licked his lips, while Iggy and Nudge cheered.

…

About an hour, and A LOT of food later, we were waltzing into Balboa Park, which Nudge had _insisted _we visit. As long as we weren't seeing Shamoo, I was good. But I didn't mention that to anyone except Fang, who laughed at me. I would rather Angel _didn't_ talk the world famous fishy into soaking us to the bone, thanks.

"Can I have a pretzel, Max?" Gazzy was asking, as we passed a vendor.

"You just stuffed your face with five burgers, Gaz," I said as nicely as possible. "Spare yourself the stomach ache later, okay?"

He nodded slowly, and Iggy patted him on the shoulder. "He's a growing boy, Max."

"And I'm growing short on cash," I reminded them quickly.

I heard Total grumbling in front of Iggy. He was probably still ticked that I'd only given him _one_ order of fries. Jeez.

Angel stepped up to the pretzel vendor suddenly, before I could stop her, smiling angelically. "Excuse me, sir," she was saying. "My brother wants one of those, if you don't mind. And maybe you'll just let us have it for free."

This was too creepy. Every time she did that she was getting better at it. I swallowed as he handed her a pretzel, looking slightly confused.

"I'll give it to you free," he said, his eyes locked on her's.

Angel gave it to the Gasman, and smiled again. "Thank you, mister," she said, "That's awful nice of you." Then she started skipping along ahead of us.

"Oh, my gosh," Nudge said. "That is _so_ creepy."

Fang was nodding, smiling slightly. "Yep."

"You need to talk to her about that Max," Nudge warned.

I gulped, my muscles becoming sort of tense. I guess I did. "I will," I promised, starting to follow Angel. "Very soon."

_A/N: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. I know not much action is going on yet, but I'm just trying to ease into the story. No flames please, if you can help it. Thank you for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3: The Glories of LA

_Author's Note:  
Wheeee. Chapter 3!! Just for the record, I had some format problems getting this one up. So if there are gramattical errors, I blame that. Hehe. I appologize in advance for format problems. Hope it's not too painful to read.  
I'm thinking about making a soundtrack for this story. So, if you have any song ideas or contributions, feel free to let me know.  
Also, thanks to my friend Kimosabi, for his helpfulness, and being one of the best best friends I could ask for! Thanks to my other reviewers as well. It really means alot to me.  
I better get on with the story before the author's note is longer than the chapter itself. Enjoy, and review PLEASE! No matter how many reviews I already have. The reviews are what keep me going. That, and the fact that I love the flock. Haha._

_Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING. And watch out. There are spoilers! Sheesh._

**Maximum Ride: Fame, Fortune, and...Feathers?!  
Chapter 3  
By HurricaneWriter**

"Shhhh," I heard Fang whisper from up ahead of me.

I closed my eyes for a second, and then opened them again, allowing them to adjust to the darkness. It was probably close to midnight, and we had just landed in a run-down area somewhere on the outskirts of L.A. I told him we were going to have to find a motel or somewhere to crash, and he nodded. This place was too dang populated. Sleeping in a tree just wasn't gonna cut it when at least 80 of trees around here were under ten feet tall.

"Quiet up ahead, guys," I whispered behind me. The flock followed Fang and me to the cross walk, and we went over to the "Super 8" motel on the other side.

"Yeah, this is gonna be pleasant…" I said to Fang, as we approached the office. We saw several shady looking people on the balcony across from us. Just great.

"Wait out here with Fang," I told the rest of the kids, as I walked into the little office. There was an older man behind the counter, who was apparently very into his Stephen King novel. "Um, hey," I said as I walked up to the counter. I tried to appear older than fourteen. The man sprang up out of his seat so fast, you would have thought there was an earthquake.

"Whoa! Oh…what do you want?" I had clearly shaken him from his book at an intense moment or something. I'd have to laugh about that one later.

"A room," I said, putting some money on the counter. "If you don't mind." He eyed me suspiciously, but I guessed the business was pretty slim, because he took my money and handed me a room key without any questions. I backed out of the office pretty quick after that, and dangled the key in front of Fang.

"Not exactly a five star place," I mumbled, as we walked up the stairwell to the second floor. "But it's better than NYC sewer tunnels."

As soon as I unlocked the door, Gazzy and Angel were jumping on one of the twin beds. Nudge was telling Iggy how the room looked, but she paused mid-description.

"On second thought, you might not wanna know," she said, looking grossed out as she heard a rat shuffling in one of the walls.

"It's been worse," Iggy said, smirking a little.

I went over to the tiny cook-top stove. It had one burner, and on the same wall, were a microwave, and a mini-fridge. _Well, at least the food situation isn't so bleak,_ I comforted myself. Thanks to my mom, we had enough microwave popcorn and junk food to last until Fang could get to the store in the morning. I grabbed some from my backpack and tore off the wrapper, shoving it into the microwave. Angel was digging in her pack, and produced a tiny bottle of shampoo, and a bar of soap. Might as well shower while we could, even if we had only been a couple of days without one. She looked at me expectantly.

"You can go first," I told her, motioning toward the tiny bathroom. She smiled at me and headed that direction.

Gazzy and Nudge had Fang's laptop on one of the beds, and Fang was sitting against the headboard of the other one, flipping channels on the television. This was the most relaxed I'd seen him look in a long, long time. Well, aside from last night at the beach. I smiled at the thought. Total was snoozing on the floor. But where was Iggy?

"Where'd Iggy go?" I asked, pressing some buttons on the microwave, and waiting for the popcorn to start popping.

"Outside, I think," said Nudge. She was obviously wrapped up in something on the computer, but I would have to get to that later. I went over to the door, and stepped out, to see Iggy leaning against the balcony railing.

"Hey Ig," I whispered, coming up beside him. I could tell something was up. "Want to talk about it?"

"How do you even know something is wrong?" he asked. His fair skin sort of glowed out here in the moonlight.

"I dunno," I answered, "Maybe because you're out here all alone, when you could be inside, with the rest of us, listening to the TV?"

"Not your best comeback," he retorted, moving his hands back and forth on the outside of the railing.

"I know. That's been slipping lately. But, seriously, tell me what's up," I demanded, now honestly curious.

"I've just been thinking. About my parents. About what they were saying at Itex. The rest of our parents were just…nothing…"

I swallowed. How hadn't I seen this coming?

"My parents obviously didn't even know they took me," he was saying. "What about the rest of the flock? I mean, you've got your dream family and all, but what about them?"

"_Dream family?_" I practically spat, scratching my ear. "You're kidding, right?"

"They were just who you wished for, Max. The rest of us aren't so lucky…"

He was right. And there was nothing I could do to make him feel better. I sighed, blinking hard to keep the tears back. Gosh, I've gotten way too soft. "I'm sorry," was all I could manage.

"It's okay," he said. "I mean, I'm okay. At least I met mine. I'm just really ticked for the other kids. That they probably wont even get the chance. You know?" He had made fists and was rapping them against the metal bars of the railing.

"I know," I agreed. "Definitely." We stood in silence for a few minutes, and I put a comforting arm around his shoulders. Iggy really surprised me sometimes. He was probably the toughest of any of us. And yes folks, I'm including myself. Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside, Iggy was so freaking _strong_. I was proud of him.

"Come on, let's get some popcorn," I said, after a few more minutes had passed, turning him around and guiding him back into the hotel room. Not really a Hallmark moment, but you know, the Maximum Ride equivalent.

Fang was already munching when we came inside. Angel was sitting in his lap, leaning against him, eating a bite every now and then. Her wet blond locks were sporadically strewn across Fang's chest. It took every ounce of my being not to laugh and go _"AWWW, how sweet."_ But, you know, Fang probably would have clobbered me. Iggy sat down at the foot of that bed.

"Gimme that," I said, snatching the popcorn from Fang and grabbing a handful before I gave it to Iggy. Fang looked up at me, and I looked back, making a face. He half-smiled at me, and allowed Angel to rest her head on his shoulder. He patted her back, and her eyes were starting to close. _What has gotten into me?_ I wondered, heading for the bathroom.

"I'm taking my shower," I announced. "Stay out of trouble you guys."

…

"Can you believe this?" Gazzy was saying to Nudge when I came back into the room about ten minutes later. "We have, like, _fans._"

Nudge was lying on her stomach next to the Gasman, who was driving the computer. Angel was asleep, still in Fang's lap, and Iggy was making more popcorn. "What's up?" I asked, walking over to the computer, ringing out my long, wet hair.

"Look!" Nudge exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "Max, it's like we're already famous."

I read some of the emails over Gazzy's shoulder.

"_Nudge, you're totally my role model. Everything Fang has said about you on the blog really blows my mind. You're so cool. Please, please, write back!!"_

"_Hi, Gasman. Or, the Gasman. Do you prefer Gazzy? Either way, I can't believe how much we have in common. You're my favorite out of the whole flock. You guys are AWESOME! Great job beating Itex."_

"_IGGY! You prove that blind people really can still be normal. My older sister is blind, and when I told her about you, she was so happy. She said you are an inspiration. Good luck, and stay safe! Write back soon!"_

"Wow," I said. Not only were human kids useful in numbers, but they made pretty good adoring fans, too. "What kind of things do you say about us anyway, Fang?"

He looked over at me. "I just describe what goes on," he smirked. "It doesn't take a lot to impress them."

"If these are all for the rest of us, then you must have a cult following yourself, or something," I remarked, getting my hairbrush – the hairbrush that mom had insisted I take – and starting to work through my hair.

"Pretty much," he answered, smirking as Iggy came back over with the popcorn. I laughed. Then I heard Total sniffing from the other side of the bed.

"Is that popcorn I smell?" he asked. It had been one of his favorites at Anne's house.

"Took you long enough," Iggy told him, sitting down on the bed and eating a handful.

"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?" I asked Fang, leaning over to get some of Angel's hair out of her face. She looked so…well…angelic. I still hadn't talked to her about the whole controlling-minds-for-personal-gain thing.

"I got us an appointment with an agent online," he said quickly, "So, we'll need to go to that. Talk to her about our ideas. See if there are any projects we could work on."

I nodded. He'd really done his research for this. I hoped it wouldn't come back to bite us. "Sounds good to me."

"But, right now, I need to go shower," Fang informed, leaning up and passing Angel off to me. I took her, and leaned against the headboard where Fang had been, trying not to wake her.

"You do that," I said, rubbing Angel's back lightly. I looked over at Nudge and the Gasman as Fang went into the bathroom. "One of you needs to get your shower next, and then you need to get to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow." They nodded, closing the laptop and sitting up to watch TV. I hoped this 'big day' would be better than some of our previous 'big days'.

_A/N: Hope you liked it. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!_


	4. Chapter 4: The Saga Begins

Author's Note: I'm soooo sorry this took so long. I got a really bad case of writers block. Hopefully some readers out there don't hate me! Haha. I know this chapter isn't as long as the others have been, but I just needed to get back into Max's head and re-focus where they were going.  
Also, happy birthday to Thomas! One of the main reasons I'm posting this. Haha! Anyway, review, pleaseeee! Thank you for reading.

**Maximum Ride: Fame, Fortune, and... Feathers?!  
By: HurricaneWriter  
Chapter Four: The Saga Begins...**

"Up and at 'em," I said loudly, causing everyone to jolt upright. Everyone that is, except Fang. He had gotten up even before _me_ this morning and made a run to the store, which I was deeply thankful for.

"I hate the morning," Gazzy drawled, swinging his legs off of the bed.

I heard Total yelp. "Hey! Watch it! Sleeping canine, here."

"Sorry," the Gasman mumbled, already walking toward me. I pulled him in for a hug, and ruffled his long, clean, blond hair.

"Morning, Max," Nudge was saying, already heading for the shower. Iggy made himself busy making toast and bacon on the cook-top. Don't ask me where he found the frying pan. I went over to where Angel was sitting on the bed.

"Hey, sweetie," I said, smiling. "Want some orange juice?"

She nodded quickly, and started getting out her clothes. Her hair had dried slowly last night, leaving it even more curly than usual. I loved Angel so much, but lately she'd begun to freak us all out a little. I guess seeing how easy it was for her to play on the enemy side was a little more than we needed to see. I went over and poured some orange juice into a little Styrofoam cup, and she came and sat down at the tiny desk to drink it.

"What are we doing today, Max?"

"We're going to see a lady about our publicity," I told her. Then I noticed the confused expression on her face. "Like, about Fang's blog."

"Oh," she said, nodding. Total came over and rested his head in her lap. I saw her lean down and kiss him on the head. Blech.

"Everyone dressed?" Fang asked, from his position on another chair. He was tapping his foot on the grimy floor, obviously ready to get going.

"Working on it," I answered, glancing toward the bathroom door, for Nudge. The Gasman and Iggy had already managed to get changed, as had Angel and I. "Come eat something while you wait," I told Fang, motioning toward the cooling food Iggy had just shifted to the table.

We all dug in, and I remembered to save enough for Nudge. Angel gave Total his small ration, and he muttered something from under the table.

"That's what you get when you hang out with genetic mutations who eat three times as much as the average bear," I quipped at him. "Deal with it."

Half and hour later we were leaving the hotel room, and heading to Los Angeles for our appointment. It was almost comical to me. A definite change from running for our lives and/or freedom every other day, right? Running _into_ the public eye?

"Do they know…about us?" Iggy asked, as we trekked down the road. We were getting closer to the inner-city area judging by the traffic. "That we can fly?"

"If they've been reading Fang's blog, they do." Nudge answered him uneasily, before I could open my mouth.

"Why is that suddenly okay?" The Gasman asked, from a few paces in front of me. "Are we really that safe?"

"Yeah. Fang thinks it's for the greater good," I teased, though I was a bit uneasy myself. The kids need to see that I was okay with this. I looked over at Fang. He allowed a very brief, reassuring smile to cross his face. I considered rolling my eyes, but thought better of it. I didn't get too many smiles out of him.

"Do they know about _me?_" Total asked incredulously, as if he had already discerned the answer. He was always getting put out, or so he thought, and he didn't like it.

"No," Fang piped up. "And let's keep it that way. At least for right now. These fragile humans can only take so much in at once." I saw him smirk at Nudge, and she smiled, slightly relieved. When did the kids start being more concerned about the flock's safety than I was? I shook my head. Fang's little idea might have been going too far. But, I didn't have time to change my mind now. We had gotten into the city as our conversation slowed, and Fang was looking at a piece of paper in his hand.

"I think this is it," He said, looking up at the gigantic building next to us.

We walked inside, and I was immediately on my guard. I scanned the huge lobby, seeing only a really shiny floor, and a professional-looking reception desk. Fang walked toward the elevators confidently, and the rest of us followed, earning a very odd look from the receptionist.

"Do you even know where you're going?" I hissed to Fang as we waited for the elevator doors to open.

"Not really," he answered, as we all piled into the empty elevator. I just shook my head at him, and he looked back down at the paper in his hand.

"Press the button for the fifth floor, if you can," he said to Gazzy, who was squished against that wall. He obliged, with some difficulty.

Just FYI, sticking six bird-kids and their talking dog into a corporate elevator isn't an easy thing to do. Trust me on that one.

We all sucked in our breath as the elevator ascended. None of us had fond memories of elevators. Goes hand in hand with the whole antiseptic smell thing. Go figure. Finally, it stopped on the fifth floor, and we all climbed out. I suppressed a laugh as we strolled by the cubicles, and several heads stuck out curiously.

"Is this her office?" Nudge asked Fang, indicating a door to our right. He nodded, not even bothering to ask how she knew. Nudge can be weird like that. Fang walked over first, lightly knocking on the chrome-finished door. We heard a muffled "Come in!" from the other side, and I took a deep breath. I felt Angel grab my hand, and I squeezed her's back.

"Well," I thought to her, "Here goes nothing."

A/N: REVIEW and tell me what you thought! Thanks again for reading, and sorry about the delay!


	5. Chapter 5: A Taste of Our Life

**A/N: I AM SOOOOO sorry for kind of quitting on this story. Once the new Max books were released it was hard to go back to this line of thinking. Haha. I figured I should go ahead and post what I had already written, and add more of an ending to it, since I don't see myself completing this fic. I'm sorry and I appologize deeply for taking SO long, but I hope you'll check out my other fanfics and I hope you enjoy the last tiny chapter of Maximum Ride: Fame, Fortune, and Feathers!! Thanks so much for reading.**

**Maximum Ride: Fame, Fortune, and Feathers  
Chapter 5  
By: Kalynnn (aka HurricaneWriter)**

As Fang turned the doorknob, and we filed into the spacious modern office, we were greeted by a tall, pretty blond. She looked to be in her twenties, though I suspected she was really much older. Hollywood can do that to people. Or rather, people like to do that in Hollywood.

"Hello, hello, children!!" She was out of her chair and ushering us over to a large fluffy sofa. She stuck out a hand for Fang to shake. "I'm so glad to finally meet you."

I glanced at Angel, to see what she was picking up, but she had the oddest content look on her tiny features. I tried to match it, nodding politely as the lady shook my hand too.

"My name is Sara Wright. I'm the vice president of this agency." She smiled as she shook the hands of the rest of the flock. "Of course I know your names. And I must say, I'm a big fan!"

I saw Nudge's jaw drop, and Gazzy closed it for her. "You're fans of _us?_" she couldn't help asking.

"Why, yes! Definitely." Sara turned on one of her stiletto heals and sat down at her desk, typing something on her computer. She turned to Fang, and I sucked in my breath. Hello, I'm the leader around here, lady. "So where do you want to get started?"

"Aren't you the professional?" Fang said calmly, shooting a look at me.

Sara laughed appreciatively, though Fang wasn't kidding. "Well, you're right, of course. I guess we should get started, first with your blog. It needs a re-vamp. A more professional look."  
Fang just nodded. I nodded with him.  
"How come it's just _Fang's _blog?" Nudge piped up. Angel and Gazzy looked at her, interested. I could feel a can of worms opening. "Shouldn't the other members of the flock be represented too? We could appeal to a much broader audience that way. Don't you think, Sara?"  
"Yeah!" the Gasman enthused, pumping a fist in the air. "Can my page have explosions on it??"  
"Can mine have sparkles? I want the theme to be all pink and purple." Nudge was grinning thoughtfully.  
"Enough, guys," I warned. "Let's slow down for a minute and hear _Sara's_ suggestions." I looked at her expectantly; glad she was the one who would have to squash their dream, and not me. "We understand if explosions and pink sparkles are not exactly professional."

"Well actually…" Sara mused, sitting back from her keyboard a bit. "It's a different direction than I was thinking, but it may be exactly what we need. The flock's experiences from all points of view." She looked like she was envisioning our names in lights. Nothing could make me more uneasy. But, it looked like I was going to have to get used to being in the spotlight. The flock was going Hollywood. I watched Angel, to see her reaction, and that's when a smile broke across her tiny little face.

"You're about to get an up close and personal look, Sara," she said simply.

I didn't have time to think about what she meant, or why she was smiling, or how many seconds we had until liftoff. I didn't even have time to think about how Fang had just been _gazing_, yes, gazing, at pretty blond Sara. Because when I followed _Angel's_ gaze to the giant glass windows that made up the far wall of the room, I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. And that takes a lot, because after all, I am _Maximum Ride_.


End file.
